The Recession, Most Would Say, Is Already Being Felt : Help May Come From Strong Markets Abroad

Jay Winter is executive secretary of the Foreign Trade Assn. of Southern California. Its more than 500 members represent a cross section of the international trade community :

“Most small importers are just receiving their Christmas orders, and imports have been down because the U.S. retail market has been soft in general.

“Diversified importers and exporters today are looking very hard at expanding their international markets, because their perception is that the U.S. recession will be moderate but that the economies in Western Europe and Japan and the so-called Four Tigers in the Pacific Rim--namely Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea--will stay reasonable robust and will be reasonably strong markets for U.S. exports.